Growlette: The 32-ounce growler

Can you get too much of a good thing? For a grocery store chain in Northeast Ohio that recently started selling 64-ounce growlers, it turns out you can. Acme Fresh Market Wine and Beer Shop dropped a picture on its Facebook page just before July 4. It’s a 32-ounce container dubbed the “growlette.”

Rick Armon of the excellent Ohio Beer Blog caught up with Jon Albrecht, Acme beer buyer, for the story behind the (double) pint-sized. Albrecht explained that he was concerned when customers would bring back their 64-ounce growlers with beer left over.

“We don’t want anybody to waste beer. That’s a sin,” said Albrecht, the beer buyer for the Akron-based chain.

So Acme is joining a growing number of breweries and draft beer businesses in Ohio offering a smaller alternative.

Say hello to the “growlette” — or, if you prefer, the “howler.”

Armon reported that at least five other area beer sellers are offering growlettes. Check out the full list on the Ohio Beer Blog for all the details.

Anyone who has ever had drinker’s remorse after buying a tasty but powerful craft beer growler that went to waste sitting in the fridge all weekend would find this a novel innovation. It also offers the beer drinker more flexibility to try more beers straight from the taps. It’s no longer a race against time to finish 64-ounces. You can spread out a couple 32-ouncers over a weekend.

Growler? Howler? Let us know what you think the best name in the comments below.While we think this is extremely cool (we’re picking a couple up for ourselves), it could mean yet another step toward increasingly stringent growler laws. Back in February, we talked to Eric Bean, Columbus Brewing Co. brewmaster and president of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, about the craft beer climate in Ohio. He was excited about the growth in popularity but apprehensive about the laws and regulations that will likely be coming down the pike — specifically, with growlers. He called Ohio the “wild west” in terms of growler laws right now.

Is it only a matter of time before there’s a growler sheriff in town set on taming this craft beer wild west? We’ve seen it happen in otherstates. Keep it tuned to Craft Brewing Business for the latest updates.